Assighok to the crawford



Patented Nov. 1,4, 1922;.

mit heb.

liltllil.

GEORG-E W. MATTERN, 0F DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO {lll-IE CRWFDR), MCG-REGOR, AND COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHI, A. CQRPORATION OF QHIO.

INSERT EUR GOLF CLUBS.

Application liled November 27, 1320.' Serial No. 426,7GR.

T o all w from may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGEVV. MArrnRN,

a. citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Inserts for Golf Clubs, of which the following is a specification.

kMy invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly to the seating or anchoring of an insert or impact plug in the striking face of the club.

A'Grolf club heads are ordinarily made of wood, which does not afford the requisite rigidity at the point of impact'to give the desired distance to the ball, which'is the objective of every golfer. For this reason, it

has heretofore been the practiceV to insert in the striking face of the golf club head, a bodyof characteristically different material. 'In practice ivory has been found to be the most desirable material for such inserts. Other materials, however, such as fiber, lignum vitae, ebony, hickory. and even certain metallic alloys may be employed. `The desiredcharaeteristic is not that of affording to theball a great rebound when st'ruck,but one vwhich while affording the requisite resistance and solidity, will enable the player to follow thru, thus transmitting to the ball greater force than the mere initial impact.

As heretofore employed, such inserts have been cemented, glued or otherwise secured within bores.I or sockets `formed within the club head, wherein they have'a thrust bearingl only on the bottom of such bore or socket. This results in the force of theimY pact, being localized at the end of the insert f or impact plug, 'and' frequently results in splitting of the head or breaking of the shank or shaft. -Moreoventhe driving effect of the blow upon the. insert or plug. tends'to move it axially within its socket thereby loosening its attachment and this loosening effect is aggravated by the relative shrinkage and'erqoansi-onv ofthe head and insert. The loosening may not be such as'to afford any perceptible movement of the insert within the head, yet upon impact with the ball, there will be lacking the feeling of rigidity, and the break or interrupfion of the vibration will materially affect the flight of the ball. 1

The present invention is designed to overthe club head, thereby inducing a harmonious action, and obviating the tendency to breakage.

With4 the above primary and other inci-4 dental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists in the features of construction, the parts and combination thereof, and the mode of operation or their equivalents. as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

ln the drawing, wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, l? l perspective view of a golf club head, showing` a single insert or impact plug in the striking face thereof. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the head showing therein the impact plug or insert forming the subject matter hereof, and illustrating the relative eX- tent of the. insert within the body of the head. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the impact plug or insert removed from the golf club head. Fig. illustrates a modification embodying a plurality of inserts or impact plugs, grouped to afford a pleasing design, for the striking face of the club. Y

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, l is the head of a. golf club, which may be of ber or other suitable material, but which is preferably formed from wood. lnlaid in the striking face 2 of the club head l, is a face plate of liber, lignum-vitae, hard rubber or other suitable material. Inserted into the body' ofthe club head l, thru the face plate 3 is the impact insert or plug 4, which as before stated is preferably though notfnecessarily of ivory. The material of the golf club head does not afford a desirable striking surface, particularly in view of the fact that the grain of the wood forming the head extends parallel with the striking face 2. When wood is employed, as an insert or impact plug. it is usually arranged with the grain inthe -direction of the line of stroke, whereby the impact is received upon the llfO ends ot the grain. ,loweven in the present instance, the particular material of the insert plug :forms no essential part ot the invention, and while ivory is the desirable material, it is be understood that liber, wood, hard rubber, or metallic alloys may be employed in lieu thereof.

The impact insert 4iis screw threaded thruout the greater portion of its length as indicated at 5, leaving adjacent to the exterior terminal tace an -unthreaded portion 6. A coimter-bored socket is provided thru the face plate B, and into the body of the head l., the larger outer portion of such countenbored soclret extending' partially thru the face plate while tl smaller or inner portion off such soelret, w inthe body oi the head l, and the remaining portion or" the race plate is screw threaded to agree with the threads 5 of the insert. The unthreaded extremity 6 oi' the insert agrees in diameter with the mouth of the socket formed in the plate 3, wherein it is aii'orded a uniform tight lit. The insert or plug d is screwed into place after laiaving been coated with cementfor other adhesive, and the striking surface is finished flush with the face 2 and plate 8. "'By leaving a portion of the insertl or plug cylindrical and devoid el screw threads, a uniform tight joint is `afforded between the insert and the face plate. Otherwise, Vit* the screw threads were extended thruout the :full length of the insert, the intersection o'l the plane `of the striking face with the screw threads,

would atlord an irregular and objection-l able surface. The ii-iterengagement of the threads of the plug` or insert, within its socket .not only materially increases the thrust bearing of the insert, but it equalizes and ydistributes the shock of the impact thruout a greater portion of the club head, and induces a harmonious vibration of the head asa whole. T he interlocking oi' the `insert with the material of the head by means of the screw thread not only distributes the shock and vibration, but it ties' the material of the head and strengthens the head to prevent breakage absolutely rigid or solid driving surface, which, however, is not inert. The line of clemage between the insert or impactplug and the body of the head being unalined with the direction of the blow, or undulat ing, resists any tendency ot the `insert to drive inward, thereby loosen-ing the attach ment of the insert and head. Not only does this interlocking resist Vany longitudinal movement or loosening effect, but in the event of expansion and contraction of the head and insert it willv retain its engagement within the head, and will-not have the tendency to `become loose in its socket. By threading the insert or plug partially in the f face plate 3, ythe latter is rigidly held in. posilt affords an tion upon the club head, and independent vibration or interruption ot the vibratory impulses is prevented. Whereas in the ordi* nary straight or cylindrical insert, the localization of the thrust at the bottom of the socket tends to split the head, the preseut interloeked or screw threaded construction distributes the strain, and serves to tie thehead to prevent such breakage.

While the addition of screw threads, wel] known for other purposes to an insert or impact plug 4in a vgellA club head appears to be but a small thing, it has resulted in a very great and material improvement in the action oit the club, and has aiordedfmaf teria-ily increased .distance in the iight of the ball. inert striking face, which will not loosen under severe usage, .or Lexpansicm and `contraction of the material, under which conditions the ordinary form of 4insert .develo s an imperceptible looseness or lack `of soli ity, discernible only in the l'eel or the `club at the moment of impact, and in the intervruption ot the vibration set up in the club, which., however, does materially eliect the flight oi' the'ball'. To be screw threaded the lt atterds a firm rigid, but not inserts or plugs, are of course, necessarily f cylindrical. However, these inserts or plugs may be of various sizes and may be arranged in different grouped relation :to agree with individual taste. For instance, in Fig. l there has beenishown a single insertion-.comparatively large size, While `in Fig. 14 there is shown a 'f lurality of smaller inserts groiujied to va ord addition to their mechanical function, a design of; pleasing-:aplpea-rance.

From theabove description it will be ap-V parent that there is thus provided adevice oi the character .described possess-ine'V the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which yobviously is4 susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and airrangement z0f parts without .departing from the principle involved or scarcificing any @if its advantages.

While in order to comply with the lstatute the invention has been described in lan-v gauge more or less specific as to .structural features, Ait is 5to be ruiderstood that the ine' vention is not limited to the specitie details` shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed; comprise but one of several modes oit putting' the invention into eect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifi-cations within the legitimate and valid scope of the Aappended claims. Having thus described my invention, I claim: l

l. In a golf club, a head, andI a cylindrical insert plug of substantially uniform diameter throughout 'in thestrikng .face of the head, said plug being screw threaded thruout a portion of its length, that por# tion of the plug adjacent to the striking face being devoid of screw threads, said head having a receiving socket for the plug formed therein said socket being screw threaded thruout a portion of its depth but devoid of threads adjacent to its mouth. 2. In a golf club, a wooden head, a face plate forming the striking surface of the head, and an insert plug set flush in said striking face having screw threaded engagement with both the head and face plate.

3. In a golf club, arhead, a screw threaded insert plug of substantially uniform maximum diameter throughout in the striking face of the head, the head 0f saidplug being set iiush with the striking face, said 4head being devoid of screw threads, the

golf club head having therein a socket conforming to said insert plug.

4. In al golf cluh, a wooden head and a cylindrical ivory insert plug in the striking face of the club, said ivory insert plug having screw threaded engagement with the wooden head of the club throughout a portion only of its length whereby the insert plug will present an unbroken terminal face.

5. In a golf club, a wooden head, a face plate on said head, and a screw threaded ivory insert plug extending thru the face plate and having screw threaded engagement with the wooden head.

6. In a golf club, a wooden head, a face plate on the striking face of the head, a screw threaded insert plug extending thru the face plate and having screw threaded engagement with the wooden head, the screw threads of the plug terminating in spaced relation with the terminal face of the insert plug, said face plate having therein an open-- ing conforming to the Unthreaded portion of the insert plug.

7. An insert for golf club heads comprising a substantially cylindrical body of ivory or like material, said b'ody being eX- teriorly` screw threaded, the screw threads terminating in spaced relation with one terminal face of the plug to afford a rperipheral margin of sufficient depth. to avoid breakage.

8. In a golfclub, a Wooden head and a plurality of substantially cylindrical insert plugs, said plugs being eXteriorly screw threaded throughout the greater portion of their length, the threads terminating in spaced relation with the terminal faces, said threaded inserts being arranged in grouped spaced relation in the striking face of the club head.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of November A. D. 1920.

GEORGE lV. MATTERN.

Witnesses y H. B. CANBY,

JOHN DINEEN. 

